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Wolves are not planning on signing a new centre-back in the January transfer window, according to reliable journalist Tim Spiers.

The Lowdown: Wolves continue superb form

Bruno Lage’s side continued their excellent recent form on Saturday afternoon, winning 2-1 away to Brentford in the Premier League thanks to goals from Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves. It means Wolves have picked up 13 points from their last five league games, as talk of European football next season gathers pace.

Despite Wanderers’ current brilliance, there is still arguably a need for new faces this month, with the centre of defence an area slightly short on options should any of Max Kilman, Conor Coady or Romain Saiss get injured.

The Latest: Spiers makes centre-back claim

However, Spiers took to Twitter to share an article he penned for The Athletic in which he discussed Bruno Lage’s claim that Wolves are unlikely to add to their central defensive options this month, despite the latter previously feeling that this was one of his priorities in the January transfer window.

The journalist tweeted that the Old Gold manager “suggested there are now no plans to bring in a centre-back”.

The Verdict: A risk from Wanderers?

There is certainly an element of risk in taking this approach, especially if the funds are available after Adama Traore’s likely move to Tottenham goes through.

Kilman, Coady and Saiss have been superb in a back-three this season – Wolves have conceded just 16 goals in 21 league matches – but a long-term injury to any of them would leave Wanderers looking light.

There is still a week or so for Wolves to make January additions, but if they choose not to do so, the hope is that a lack of mid-season transfer activity doesn’t end up being fatal in their European push.

In other news, one Wolves transfer target could leave his current club in January. Find out who it is here.

Leicestershire captain, Matthew Hoggard, has demanded the immediate removal of the club’s chairman, Neil Davidson

George Dobell23-Aug-2010Leicestershire captain, Matthew Hoggard, has demanded the immediate removal of the club’s chairman, Neil Davidson.Hoggard and the club’s director of cricket, Tim Boon, have written a letter to the board of Leicestershire demanding that Davidson either resigns or is dismissed. Cricinfo understands the letter has the support of all Leicestershire players, the groundstaff and most of the club’s administrative staff. Former chief executive, Mike Turner, the man who has done more for Leicestershire cricket than anyone over the last half-century, is also understood to be supportive.Hoggard and Boon allege that Davidson has interfered in cricket matters at the club. It is also alleged that Davidson’s somewhat robust style of management has intimidated staff and made the club unattractive to new players. There are growing concerns over the financial state of the club, too. Leicestershire have declared losses in six of the last seven years.If Davidson refuses to go, the players are considering some sort of on-field protest during the championship match against Surrey at Grace Road that starts on Tuesday. Cricinfo understands that Hoggard and co. have consulted both the ECB and the PCA (the players’ union) over such a gesture.The key episode which sparked this was the departure of the chief executive, David Smith. A former batsman with Warwickshire (he’s a brother of the former Warwickshire allrounder, Paul Smith), he went on to enjoy a highly successful career in business before returning to cricket.Inheriting a troubled club at Grace Road, he not only weaned the club away from their reliance on Kolpak registrations, but returned the club to profitability. In the current economic environment, that’s no mean achievement. He also sits on the ECB’s cricket committee. Smith and Davidson fell out, however. Smith felt that Davidson was interfering in the selection of the side – e-mails that have leaked out from the club suggest he has a point – and Smith tendered his resignation. He subsequently initiated legal action against the club, claiming constructive dismissal.Understandably, this alarmed a portion of the membership. As a result, a couple of concerned members collected the requisite number of signatures (club rules dictate that it must be a minimum 5% of the membership) on a petition calling for a special general meeting. At it they intended to call a vote of no confidence in Davidson and the Leicestershire board.Davidson denied their request, however, citing a couple of legal technicalities – an approach that has done nothing to appease angry members. Firstly he said that the last three pages of the petition did not contain the resolutions (the inference being that people did not know what they were signing) and secondly he said the petition should have been handed to the company secretary, whose office is in Nottingham, rather than to the offices at Grace Road.”What is happening here at the moment sets an extremely dangerous precedent,” said Davidson in a statement. “No cricket club can allow itself to be held to ransom by its coach, captain and players. The board is elected by the members and it is they who ultimately control the club.”Davidson was appointed chairman at the end of 2003. Since then membership has dropped from around 5,000 to around 1,460, while Smith was the sixth chief executive to leave the club under Davidson’s chairmanship. Hoggard, the former England and Yorkshire swing bowler, joined Leicestershire as captain before the start of the current season.

A major update has emerged on Newcastle United’s efforts to seal a deal to sign Bruno Guimaraes from Lyon in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope has issued a fresh claim on their attempts to close the transfer, as Eddie Howe seeks to complete his third signing of the transfer window after Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood.

Hope tweeted late on Thursday night: “Newcastle hoping to complete Bruno Guimaraes medical tomorrow.”

Howe will be salivating

This news will surely leave Howe salivating as his mouth waters over the prospect of Guimaraes holding up a Newcastle shirt alongside him in an official announcement photoshoot sooner rather than later.

Completing a medical will represent a huge step in their journey to completing the signing, as it will alleviate any worries over his physical condition, with the Brazilian – hopefully – not carrying any issues which will affect him in the long-term.

Fabrizio Romano has reported that the Magpies have agreed a fee which could rise to €48m (£40m) with Lyon and that he will sign a contract until 2026. This suggests that the medical could be the last piece of the puzzle before the Magpies are able to announce his arrival on Tyneside.

This is why Howe’s mouth will be watering over this latest update, as the midfielder is poised to link-up with the rest of the Newcastle squad ahead of their next Premier League match. It could also mean that the move is in place prior to deadline day, which will relieve the head coach as he will have no need to worry about scrambling to get the deal over the line in the final few hours. However, it remains to be seen whether or not that will be the case with other potential signings.

The ex-Bournemouth boss will also be excited by this news because of the quality of player the club are on the verge of bringing in. Guimaraes has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.3 in Ligue 1, making 3.6 tackles and interceptions along with 1.8 key passes per game.

This highlights how much of an impact he can have at both ends of the pitch at the top level. The Brazilian can break up the play and win the ball back for his team whilst also having the quality to step forward and play brilliant passes to create chances for his teammates, which is why Howe will be buzzing to have him as part of his squad moving forward.

AND in other news, Newcastle plotting late swoop for £54m-rated “winner”, he’s far better than Wilson…

New West Brom manager Steve Bruce is reportedly ready to make new signings at the Hawthorns immediately, with free agents being eyed up.

The Lowdown: Bruce takes charge

Valerien Ismael was relieved of his duties earlier this week, with a string of unconvincing results leaving the Baggies sitting sixth in the Championship.

Arriving in his place is Bruce, with the veteran manager tasked with strengthening West Brom’s hopes of securing a swift promotion back to the Premier League.

The 61-year-old took Hull City up to the top flight back in 2015/16 and the hope is of course that history repeats itself this time around.

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The Latest: New signings imminent?

According to Football League World sources, Bruce will look to delve into the transfer market immediately at the Hawthorns, although only free agents will be available after the close of the January transfer window.

While no specific players are mentioned as targets, Jack Wilshere is name-checked, as the former Arsenal man is without a club after leaving Bournemouth last year.

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The Verdict: Every little helps

While there isn’t necessarily a huge need for new signings – the Baggies’ squad still possesses plenty of quality and depth – a few extra faces could just give a little injection of life to a squad in need of exactly that.

Daryl Dike’s hamstring injury has perhaps heightened the need for a new striker to come in between now and the end of the season with Andy Carroll hardly an inspiring January signing, but finding the right option may not be easy.

That being said, former West Brom striker Han Robson-Kanu is currently a free agent, and at 32, he is still at an age where he could make an impact in the Championship.

With five goals for Wales, two of which came at Euro 2016, he arguably looks the best option out there in the striker department.

In other news, Joseph Masi has revealed an important West Brom update. Read more here.

Bad light ruled out what would have been an intriguing final two overs of the first one-dayer in Toronto, but Canada won’t be complaining as it secured them a surprise win

Cricinfo staff07-Sep-2010
Scorecard
Canada’s captain Ashish Bagai once again made a key contribution•Bryan Vandenburg, Cricket CanadaBad light ruled out what would have been an intriguing final two overs in the first one-dayer in Toronto, but Canada won’t be complaining as it secured them a surprise win over Ireland, the leading Associate nation, in a rain-shortened match.Canada needed 13 off two overs and had just lost two batsmen who had scored half-centuries, Ruvindu Gunasekera and captain Ashish Bagai, when play had to be called off due to bad light. The match had already been curtailed to a 35-over affair after rain had delayed the start by three and a half hours.Ireland had chosen to bat and despite none of their batsmen making a half-century, they posted a competitive total. Their top scorer was John Mooney, who came in at 78 for 4 and provided some stability with a brisk 47. Their only other batsman to make it past 20 was opener Paul Stirling as Canada’s disciplined bowlers, led by Lahore-born fast bowler Khurram Chohan, struck regularly.Canada’s chase got off to a poor start with both openers falling cheaply. Gunasekera, playing his first ODI in two years, and Bagai then put the home side on course for victory with a 140-run third-wicket stand, before both fell in the space of six deliveries, leaving Canada needing a run a ball for the final 16 deliveries. Zubin Surkari and Jimmy Hansra added three off four deliveries before the light was deemed too poor to continue, consigning Ireland to defeat.

A brutal Sri Lankan performance delivered Australia their first Twenty20 defeat at home

Peter English31-Oct-2010Sri Lanka 3 for 135 (Sangakkara 44*, Dilshan 41) beat Australia 8 for 133 (Haddin 35, Randiv 3-25) by 7 wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 41 off 34 balls helped swing Sri Lanka to victory•AFPA brutal Sri Lankan performance delivered Australia their first Twenty20 defeat at home as Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara thrust the tourists to a commanding seven-wicket victory. The hosts were first overwhelmed by a stunning bowling display, dropping to 5 for 43 in the 11th over and finishing at 8 for 133, before becoming the victims of an explosive batting effort.The opener Dilshan guided the small chase with 41 off 34 balls while the captain Kumar Sangakkara registered a delightful 44 off 43 and the game was over 21 balls early. With the English squad staying a short walk away as they prepare for the Ashes – Kevin Pietersen was in the stands – Australia suffered their fourth Twenty20 loss in a row and their first in 11 games at home. The defeat felt as severe as the result inflicted by England in Southampton at the start of Australia’s failed 2005 Ashes tour.Mahela Jayawardene and Dilshan raced to 35 in the fourth over and Dilshan kept up the pace when Jayawardene went for 24 off 16. Sangakkara joined Dilshan and they were rarely troubled as they drove, flicked and forced boundaries. Dilshan, who was stumped off Steven Smith, finished with six fours and Sangakkara gained six of them as the pair enjoyed tormenting the inexperienced attack. Thisara Perera then arrived to finish the game off by thrashing Smith for a six, a four and another six over long-on to finish the match.Jayawardene crashed two boundaries from Clint McKay’s opening over and then blasted two more from Peter Siddle, who got his revenge when the batsman edged behind. Siddle was back in Australian colours for the first time since January and the breakthrough was a relief for the hosts. Dirk Nannes was then fortunate to have Dinesh Chandimal (2) lbw to a ball pitching outside leg, but that was when Australia’s luck ran out.Brad Haddin and Smith were in charge of Australia’s first-innings rescue and put on a much-needed 66 in 7.2 overs. Haddin, playing his first international since the World Twenty20 in May, showed his elbow was healed with 35 off 30 balls, including a crisp straight six off Dilhara Fernando.However, the offspinner Suraj Randiv dismissed Haddin and Smith (34) in the same over to stop them from racing away. Sri Lanka’s attack was brilliant as it dominated on a surface offering some helpful bounce. Randiv was impressive with 3 for 25 off four overs while Malinga (1 for 26) and Fernando (1 for 29) were fast and uncomfortable. Perera also chipped in with a very handy 2 for 22 from four.Clarke delivered an immediate surprise after winning the toss by walking out to open with David Warner, but the restructure didn’t provide the required boost as he strolled to 16 off 19. He has been criticised for his run-a-ball scoring in a game that demands much more but the move back-fired, especially in comparison to the output of his opponents.Clarke managed the first four in the third over and also lifted Muttiah Muralitharan for six, but in between the boundaries a frustrated David Warner (2 off 8) miscued Fernando. Fernando then removed Clarke with a spectacular back-pedalling, one-handed catch at mid-on to turn the volume down on a crowd desperate for the locals to fire.The exits of David Hussey (7) and Shane Watson (4) added to the Australian headaches, leaving them at 4 for 31 in the eighth over. When Cameron White edged behind to Malinga five of their main men were gone just after the halfway point of the innings. From that point the game was Sri Lanka’s.

Manchester United are getting closer to finishing a deal to appoint Erik ten Hag as the new permanent manager at Old Trafford for next season, and a fresh update on the details of the terms with Ajax has been revealed.

What’s the word?

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Man United are now in the final stages of completing the contract and terms in the move for the Ajax boss.

Romano tweeted: “Manchester United are prepared to hold direct talk with Ajax to complete the appointment of Erik ten Hag as new manager. The relationship is excellent – €2m clause is not gonna be an issue. Ajax board knows ten Hag has already accepted Man Utd contract conditions.”

Supporters will be buzzing

The progress in the appointment will have left United supporters buzzing, as Ten Hag has been the favoured choice ever since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked last November, while the news will also be a relief to the board who have been working tirelessly to meet the demands of the Dutch coach.

It was reported that the Red Devils could have their appointment hijacked as RB Leipzig also became interested in securing the services of the 52-year-old manager, so now that the negotiations are advancing for the 20-time Premier League title winners, it is undoubtedly good news for the club.

Although Ten Hag is speculated to be announced as the new Manchester United manager next week, he will continue at Ajax for the rest of the season and could win two more trophies with the Dutch giants before making his move to the Premier League.

Ajax will take on PSV in the KNVB Cup final this weekend and a win would be Ten Hag’s third Dutch Cup, they are also in a good position to win the league currently four points clear at the top of the table, which would be the third Eredivisie title for the manager.

This winning mentality and success with Ajax is something that the Manchester United supporters and board will be hoping their new manager will bring to Old Trafford, as the side have entered their longest trophy drought in 40 years and are desperate to get back to winning ways.

Ralf Rangnick must now focus on the remaining games of the season so that he can leave the club in the same condition he found it with Champions League football, and with the side currently six points off the fourth spot it will be a difficult task in his last few weeks in charge.

In other news: “Already discussed”: Romano drops teasing MUFC transfer update, Ten Hag would love him

Celtic have had a rather successful season in the SPFL under Ange Postecoglou in terms of their ability to not only score goals but not concede them as well.

With 33 league games played, the Hoops have found the back of the net 78 times and only let 19 goals in at the other end, leaving them with the best attacking and defensive record in the league.

One figure that hasn’t contributed too much during this impressive season is left-back Boli Bolingoli.

A recent article from the Daily Record revealed that the left-back is currently training on his own in Belgium away from the club.

The full-back has only played in two league games for the Bhoys this term, the first of which came back in September where he played the full 90 minutes in Celtic’s 1-0 defeat against Livingston.

In October, the 26-year-old then featured in the 2-0 win against Motherwell away from home.

Since then, the defender has not set foot on the pitch for a league game and has only been in the squad on one occasion.

Having landed himself in hot water back in 2020 for breaching government guidelines that were in place to combat the global pandemic, this led to the defender being called “arrogant” and a “disgrace” to his club and his profession by Bill Leckie.

Bolingoli isn’t in the country this time but he does have permission. However, the fact that he isn’t even in Scotland at this moment in time doesn’t do much for his chances of getting any minutes on the pitch.

With that in mind, the upcoming summer transfer window could be the ideal time for the Parkhead club to finally cut ties with their Belgian outcast.

According to Salary Sport, Bolingoli is currently picking up a weekly wage of £15k-per-week from the Hoops, the same figure as Tom Rogic, Liel Abada and Joe Hart.

This, therefore, would give Postecoglou the chance to wipe the defender’s wages off the club’s bill and potentially clear a path for another player to come in and replace the left-back.

Moving forward, it’s hard to see a permanent summer exit being anything other than the best thing for all parties if the player isn’t likely to be in the Celtic manager’s plans for next season.

In other news: £2.2m wasted: Celtic had a mare over 32 y/o once dubbed “the next Henrik Larsson”

Barbados and Leeward Islands have shared the WICB Cup after a thrilling tie that came down to the final ball of Barbados’ chase in the final at Sabina Park

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2010
Scorecard
Lionel Baker’s 5 for 33 earned him the Man-of-the-Match•AFPBarbados and Leeward Islands have shared the WICB Cup after a thrilling tie that came down to the final ball of Barbados’ chase in the final at Sabina Park. Set 140 from 50 overs, Barbados needed one run with two wickets left, and 12 overs still to go. However, they would have been hurting in the dressing room, after losing their last two wickets off successive deliveries in the 38th over, to settle for a tie in a game they should have won comfortably.The key moment came when Gavin Tonge bowled Kirk Edwards, who had top scored with 44, to leave Barbados at 139 for 9. Tino Best, who came in at No. 11, could not, however, put bat on ball and was run out trying to hurry through for a bye to the wicketkeeper Jahmar Hamilton.It was a tense finish after Barbados were on target for victory during a 47-run stand between Edwards and Carlo Morris. Things started to become tighter when Morris was bowled by Lionel Baker, who had also troubled the Barbados top order and finished with 5 for 33 in a Man-of-the-Match performance.His efforts outshone the 4 for 28 claimed by Best in the innings of the Leewards, who relied heavily on their captain Wilden Cornwall (43). They were not helped by Justin Athanaze needing to retire hurt due to dizziness when he was on 18, and it brought a premature end to their innings.

Australia’s full-time selector Greg Chappell has given Nathan Hauritz some encouragement ahead of the first Ashes Test in Brisbane, declaring that he would not favour an all-pace attack

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2010Australia’s full-time selector Greg Chappell has given Nathan Hauritz some encouragement, declaring that he would not favour an all-pace attack for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane. The Gabba traditionally offers significant assistance for seamers and in a recent Sheffield Shield match, Hauritz bowled only two overs for New South Wales as the fast men accounted for all but one wicket in the game.However, Hauritz enjoyed bowling at the venue during last year’s Test against West Indies, when he collected match figures of 5 for 57. The season before, Australia chose a four-man pace attack, including Shane Watson, and called on only a handful of overs from Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke in a comfortable win over New Zealand.Hauritz’s struggles in the ongoing Sheffield Shield match at the SCG won’t help his chances of playing at the Gabba, especially with Peter Siddle and an in-form Ryan Harris pushing their cases after long injury lay-offs. But Chappell, who is the newest member of the selection panel, said a pace-only attack would be a big gamble against an England side that will certainly feature the offspinner Graeme Swann.”That will obviously be part of the conversation when we meet,” Chappell told the radio station SEN. “Four quicks – I’m not convinced that four is better than three. We’ll certainly talk about it. It’s hard to go in to a Test match without a recognised spinner, I don’t care what the conditions are like. You need balance in any conditions.”We know the West Indies tended to do well with four quicks for many years, but more times than not I’ve seen it backfire. Someone gets underbowled or you give someone a bowl just because they’re there, when maybe they weren’t the best choice. I think if we’ve got three good quicks and Shane Watson and a spinner, we’ll be in better shape. That’s my personal opinion.”Australia will announce their squad for the first Test on Monday and they might include both Hauritz and the legspinning allrounder Steven Smith, to leave themselves plenty of options. However, Test cricket’s leading wicket taker, Muttiah Muralitharan, who played against Smith in the recent ODI series, believes Hauritz is the man to carry Australia’s spin burden during the Ashes.”Smith does not have much control and he must learn more about bowling spin before he plays Test cricket again,” Muralitharan said. “There are many things he must learn. He is not good for Test cricket at the moment.”I don’t think Smith would do any better than Hauritz. I know Hauritz did not bowl well in India but lots of spinners have struggled there against Indian batsmen, who play spin very well. Hauritz should play in the Ashes.”